A standardized chip carrier is formed from a thin ceramic metalized with circuit pads extending to its sides and along the edges of the bottom surface. The sides meet at three chamfered corners and one square corner. An electronic circuitry chip is mounted on the ceramic carrier. Fine wires are bonded between the circuitry and the pads of the ceramic carrier. The chip and its wires are encapsulated within an inverted, shallow cover which, when mounted on the ceramic carrier, provides a second, smaller tier of a fully assembled, two tier chip carrier. The overall height of the carrier is allowed to vary within specified tolerances. Accordingly, a socket must accommodate carriers of varied height.